355 research outputs found
Effect of CH addition on excess electron mobility in liquid Kr
The excess electrons mobility has been measured recently in liquid
mixtures of Kr and CH as a function of the electric field up to and of the CH concentration up to at
temperatures fairly close to the normal boiling point of Kr
(folegani). We present here new data which extend the
previous set in the region of low electric field. The experimental results are
interpreted in terms of a kinetic model previously proposed to explain the
concentration dependent behavior of in liquid Ar--Kr and Ar--Xe mixtures.
The main result is that CH is more effective in enhancing
energy--transfer rather than momentum--transfer in comparison with mixtures of
liquified noble gases. The field dependence of is quite complicate. In
particular, at intermediate values of the field, there appears to be a
crossover between two different electric--field dependent behaviors of
The electric field strength at crossover is well correlated with the
concentration of CH This fact suggests that different excitations of the
molecular solute might be involved in the momentum-- and energy--transfer
processes for different values of the mean electron energy.Comment: 17, pages,7 figures, RevTeX4, submitted to J.Chem.Phy
Performance evaluation of novel square-bordered position-sensitive silicon detectors with four-corner readout
We report on a recently developed novel type of large area (62 mm x 62 mm)
position sensitive silicon detector with four-corner readout. It consists of a
square-shaped ion-implanted resistive anode framed by additional
low-resistivity strips with resistances smaller than the anode surface
resistance by a factor of 2. The detector position linearity, position
resolution, and energy resolution were measured with alpha-particles and heavy
ions. In-beam experimental results reveal a position resolution below 1 mm
(FWHM) and a very good non-linearity of less than 1% (rms). The energy
resolution determined from 228Th alpha source measurements is around 2% (FWHM).Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, submitted to Nucl. Instr. and Meth.
Preparation of Neutron-activated Xenon for Liquid Xenon Detector Calibration
We report the preparation of neutron-activated xenon for the calibration of
liquid xenon (LXe) detectors. Gamma rays from the decay of xenon metastable
states, produced by fast neutron activation, were detected and their activities
measured in a LXe scintillation detector. Following a five-day activation of
natural xenon gas with a Cf-252 (4 x 10^5 n/s) source, the activities of two
gamma ray lines at 164 keV and 236 keV, from Xe-131m and Xe-129m metastable
states, were measured at about 95 and 130 Bq/kg, respectively. We also observed
three additional lines at 35 keV, 100 keV and 275 keV, which decay away within
a few days. No long-lifetime activity was observed after the neutron
activation.Comment: to be published in NIM A, corrected typos in Table 1 and Fig.6 of the
previous versio
High-Temperature Superconducting Level Meter for Liquid Argon Detectors
Capacitive devices are customarily used as probes to measure the level of
noble liquids in detectors operated for neutrino studies and dark matter
searches. In this work we describe the use of a high-temperature
superconducting material as an alternative to control the level of a cryogenic
noble liquid. Lab measurements indicate that the superconductor shows a linear
behaviour, a high degree of stability and offers a very accurate determination
of the liquid volume. This device is therefore a competitive instrument and
shows several advantages over conventional level meters.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in JINS
Spectroscopy and Imaging Performance of the Liquid Xenon Gamma-Ray Imaging Telescope (LXeGRIT)
LXeGRIT is a balloon-borne Compton telescope based on a liquid xenon time
projection chamber (LXeTPC) for imaging cosmic \g-rays in the energy band of
0.2-20 MeV. The detector, with 400 cm area and 7 cm drift gap, is filled
with high purity LXe. Both ionization and scintillation light signals are
detected to measure the energy deposits and the three spatial coordinates of
individual \g -ray interactions within the sensitive volume. The TPC has been
characterized with repeated measurements of its spectral and Compton imaging
response to \g -rays from radioactive sources such as \na, \cs, \yt and Am-Be.
The detector shows a linear response to \g -rays in the energy range 511 keV
-4.4 MeV, with an energy resolution (FWHM) of \Delta E/E=8.8% \: \sqrt{1\MeV
/E}. Compton imaging of \yt \g -ray events with two detected interactions is
consistent with an angular resolution of 3 degrees (RMS) at 1.8 MeV.Comment: To appear in: Hard X-Ray, Gamma-Ray and Neutron Detector Physics XI,
2000; Proc. SPIE, vol. 4140; K.A. Flanagan & O.H. Siegmund, ed
Liquid Xenon Detectors for Positron Emission Tomography
PET is a functional imaging technique based on detection of annihilation
photons following beta decay producing positrons. In this paper, we present the
concept of a new PET system for preclinical applications consisting of a ring
of twelve time projection chambers filled with liquid xenon viewed by avalanche
photodiodes. Simultaneous measurement of ionization charge and scintillation
light leads to a significant improvement to spatial resolution, image quality,
and sensitivity. Simulated performance shows that an energy resolution of <10%
(FWHM) and a sensitivity of 15% are achievable. First tests with a prototype
TPC indicate position resolution <1 mm (FWHM).Comment: Paper presented at the International Nuclear Physics Conference,
Vancouver, Canada, 201
On the Background Rate in the LXeGRIT Instrument during the 2000 Balloon Flight
LXeGRIT is the first prototype of a novel Compton telescope for MeV gamma-ray
astrophysics based on a Liquid Xenon Time Projection Chamber (LXeTPC),
sensitive in the energy band of 0.15-10 MeV. In this homogeneous, 3D position
sensitive detector, gamma rays with at least two interactions in the sensitive
volume of 2800 cm, are imaged as in a standard Compton telescope.
Gamma-rays with a single interaction cannot be imaged and constitute a
background which can be easily identified and rejected. Charged particles and
localized beta-particles background is also easily suppressed based on the TPC
localization capability with millimeter resolution. A measurement of the total
gamma-ray background rate in near space conditions and the background rejection
power of the LXeTPC was a primary goal of the LXeGRIT balloon flight program.
We present here a preliminary analysis addressing this question, based on
balloon flight data acquired during the Oct 4-5, 2000 LXeGRIT balloon flight
from Ft. Sumner, NM. In this long duration (27 hr) balloon experiment, the
LXeGRIT TPC was not surrounded by any gamma-ray or charged particle shield.
Single site events and charged particles were mostly rejected on-line at the
first and second trigger level. The remaining count rate of single-site \g-ray
events, at an average atmospheric depth of 3.2 g cm, is consistent with
that expected from atmospheric and diffuse gamma-ray background, taking into
account the instrument mass model and response.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, SPIE 2002 Proceedings, Conf. Vol. 4851 - 151;
corrected reference
Demonstration and Comparison of Operation of Photomultiplier Tubes at Liquid Argon Temperature
Liquified noble gases are widely used as a target in direct Dark Matter
searches. Signals from scintillation in the liquid, following energy deposition
from the recoil nuclei scattered by Dark Matter particles (e.g. WIMPs), should
be recorded down to very low energies by photosensors suitably designed to
operate at cryogenic temperatures. Liquid Argon based detectors for Dark Matter
searches currently implement photo multiplier tubes for signal read-out. In the
last few years PMTs with photocathodes operating down to liquid Argon
temperatures (87 K) have been specially developed with increasing Quantum
Efficiency characteristics. The most recent of these, Hamamatsu Photonics Mod.
R11065 with peak QE up to about 35%, has been extensively tested within the R&D
program of the WArP Collaboration. During these testes the Hamamatsu PMTs
showed superb performance and allowed obtaining a light yield around 7
phel/keVee in a Liquid Argon detector with a photocathodic coverage in the 12%
range, sufficient for detection of events down to few keVee of energy
deposition. This shows that this new type of PMT is suited for experimental
applications, in particular for new direct Dark Matter searches with LAr-based
experiments
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